Choosing your path in life...

[Kamui4356]

I'd say take the job. You said you like it and it pays well. Finding a job you like is very hard to do. When you find one, you should take it. Also remember it's common to change careers several times. If you don't like it after a while, you can always go back to school.

As for why you dont' feel like you've accomplished anything, it might be becuase transitioning from being primarily a student to the work force is a major life change. You might think that it wouldn't be that dramatic since you've been working for the company, but it still is. You're leaving a part of yourself behind. This might not be the answer, but it's something to consider.

[shiro83]

Well I am a computer science student myself and I am waiting to land a high-paying job like you had.

If I say so, I would go for the job. A high-paying job doesn't come easy.

Most importantly is that you follow your heart. What do you exactly want in life?

Which field do you like more? Microprocessors or Neuroscience?

[primalmx]

I'm studying CE atm... and I say take the job.... knowledge is overrated... well paying jobs dont just appear... and school you can go to any time

In the end it's your decision, but I'd go for the job... money = ability to pay for the knowledge


~prime

[Ledgem]

I won't tell you my life story, but I was an engineering major who was partially considering going pre-med. Upon finding out what my field of engineering (environmental engineering with biotechnological emphasis) would be doing, exactly, I couldn't foresee myself being fulfilled by it as an occupation. I've since switched out into environmental studies with biological emphasis and declared myself fully premed.

So now, you seem to be in a somewhat similar position as I was in. It isn't so much the switch from engineering to a biological science, but that you want to help people. I feel that fulfillment with your job is ultimately more important than the money that the job would provide you with. I truly believe that if you're happy with what you're doing, you will be successful. If you are successful, money will come to you. Money is attracted to success, after all, and happiness is the ultimate success one can achieve.

We're all different here, so you really need to sit down and think this one through yourself. And don't think immediate future, but think a few years down the road. You do not want to find yourself at the age of 40 or 50 feeling that you're wasting your time with your work. Even though you say "I'll be in school until I'm 30!" as if it's something so surprising, remember that it's normal for people entering the medical profession (especially those with an orientation toward research).

Aside from considering how fulfilled you'll be with what you'll be doing, you need to look ahead. Do you even have any idea of what you'd want to do with neuroscience? If you just like the subject matter, buy books on it. Take courses where you can afford the time. If you're relatively new to the subject and aren't too sure what you'd end up doing with it, then you may want to stay away from it. You want to help people, and you're trying to find the best way to do that: you don't want to find yourself at a dead-end, having helped no one.

For what it's worth, I don't think that working with the semiconductor business helps no one. It may not be health-related (not directly, anyway) but think about how important technology has become to everyday people's lives. Don't diminish the importance of what you'd be doing.

Finally, don't see neuroscience as that thing you were meant to do if it totally caught you on a whim. It's possible that you're unhappy with engineering, in which case it definitely would be in your best interests to get out. However, if you are going to get out, make sure that neuroscience is really where your passion is. You don't want to find that neuroscience was nothing more than "not engineering" and that, being out of engineering, neuroscience would lose its appeal.

[Pellissier]

Reality vs. dream , or so it seems. Your heart is pointing towards neuroscience, but your mind isn't, and it's pointing to the work.
Actually, at first glance, it may seem a no match for you, since no matter what, usually it is our heart which leads us.

By the way, by reading certain specific points in your text, like this: "I'm thinking that maybe I'm just afraid to leave school", I got that neuroscience is what really suits your interests right now, but I wouldn't like if it would be a sort of static escape-way from the world of work.

I feel your situation very closely, because I'm in a quite similar one, near to graduation (still an year or so) but then I'll have to choose on one between work or specialization. Still I don't have an answer to myself, but I will take my time about it, since I have a bit left.
But in my case, not to specialize would bring to a poor work, in which I won't likely neither help peoples, nor make much money.

But in your case, the work would actually deliver a safe life's situation for the future, and moneys. Safe vs. uncertain.
If you really can't efford option 3 (and you have my full comprehension), then I would go for the work. Taking the risk of leaving it will not bring you in a safe way, and to live with an eventual regret, believe me, would be awful.

Sometimes we need to sacrifice what would seem better for us by preferring something which simply would serve us better. As you were saying, life has no time for full happiness. And life is short. Thus I'd go for the safest way until the golden door is open. Because one day the golden door may be closed, as well as the other doors, and you will find yourself doomed.
And here it comes one of my favourite quotes: "It's better to live of remorses than to live of regrets"
Meaning: remorses could hurt as well but it's better to having done an important thing and having accepted its consequences, then not having done it and keep saying "oh, who knows if I would have....". Regrets are dreadful. I've experienced some of them on my skin, waaaay better to have remorses, that's what life taught me so far.

[1.0.7.]

from the looks of it, take the job, i'm sorry to say this, but give up neuroscience for now.
but don't give it up entirely, take up some books..read on it on your free time, consult someone to help you with it as well.
give it some time, then when you decide once and for all to take neuroscience, then you take it.
remember, jobs don't grow on trees.. and the job offer you got shouldn't be wavered.
i hope that helps.
remember that when you are at crossroads with no safety net, take the safer route.. i think over time as you establish yourself you'd have nothing to lose if you take your neuroscience, then do it.
that's my worthless two cents.
i hope you make the right decision, whatever it may be. god bless.

[Secca]

Hey Roots, haven't seen you for a long time. Me too had been busy moving to new place and stuffs. Life sucks.

----------------------------------------------
Like most people already said, I think it's better if you take the job first.

Having some interest in a new area of study is not a bad thing at all. Life is a learning journey. You can never have too much knowledge. ^^

But there are also many things you can only learn from working in real life. Earning your own money will give you confidence and control over your life. You can plan your future better when you know how to support yourself.

It's never too late to come back to school and pursue new knowledge. I have a friend who study animation class with me. She was a lawyer and quit her job to pursue her new interest in animation. She's 56 and mother of three, one of her son already working. She's a great person, very creative in storytelling. ^^

I'm not saying that taking the job is your best course, It's all entirely come down to your interest and determination. After all you are the one that will be doing it for a long time. So if you think you can do it till the end, then go for it. ^-^

[Tzurial]

Someone once told my that a persons life is determined by only a three big decisions. One of them being, where you work. I like to think our lives our determined by something more gentle...but, as I have been told, it is probably not true :<

My advice to help you make this decision is to realize that no matter what you chose, you couldn't have chosen any other way. So whatever you decide will be the right decision. And in that mindset, both options become ideal. Its not that one option will make you happy and one will not, it might be that both may make you happy. Or I guess both could make you unhappy.. but that might be where the other two big decisions that determine your life come in.

Also!..about not feeling happy, that is not necessarily a bad thing and you shouldn't use happiness to measure the worth of your life (or..at least I think so). If you have ever cried from suffering and have also ever cried from happiness, then you might realize that they are actually very similar.

As for what I think you should do... don't go into a field where you will be unhappy, always wishing you could help people but cant (how tragic!) hah!..am I contradicting myself? And don't worry about money, you spend money on the things that money can buy, you worry about the things that it can't!

[Ledgem]

I forgot to mention earlier as well, while I was in engineering the big thing we were told by many professional engineers is that an engineer should never stop learning, and that no engineer should have to pay for more schooling once they have a job. I don't know about the computer science side of things, but many companies will pay for your master's degree, or even your Ph.D, if there's a way that it will benefit them. The default, it seems, is that most engineers get a master's degree in business of some sort. Otherwise go on to specialize in a different field of engineering or what have you.

Where does neuroscience come into play for you? One of my interests, and something that I know is also being researched, is having circuitry interact with neural cells. Think Ghost in the Shell. It may be a bit removed from what you're currently doing, but at the same time, you're already in one of the fields required and have an interest in the other. If you really are passionate about neuroscience and it isn't just an escape for you, you don't need to truly give it up.

[Onibaba]

Sounds like you've worked hard for the job you recently landed and having earned it, you should go for it.

Later on when you're settled into your job / saved up a bit of money, perhaps then you can pursue a career in which you'd be more interested in

[arias]

If I were in that position, I'd take the job. Solely because of my background and survival needs -- money + work permit comes wayyy before my heart given my current situation. But you might have the luxury to choose.

Thing is, working in neuroscience doesn't guarantee a "meaningful" life or anything of the sort. Your research and work will still be playing into factors like funding, politics and such. It's also possible your work will ultimately be controlled by companies interested only in profitting from your ventures. In other words, the "neuroscience" choice is not totally free from the cruel economic reality of life.

Being new to the field also means you'll have to build everything *all over again*.. It's a big price to pay (and certainly you could choose to take it, if you're really determined), and it could be disadvantageous to you since you don't have the background knowledge other neuro-grads do.

I also don't agree with most posters here who say, take the job first and gain a foothold, and then go on to to your interests... Life is HARD. And utterly unpredictable. Once you take the job route, it is somewhat unlikely that you'll go back to wanting to study. I say make a wise, considered decision now, and stick with it.

[Nightbat®]

whatever you do,... In the end,...

It's just work

[Epi]

I had to make a similar choice some time ago, and so I will share with you my thoughts. No point in going into my story though.

1) What are your goals in life? Do you want money? Do you want success? Do you want to just have a simple job and do what you want?

2) What is your personality? Do you like to wait for things, or do you want things to come much faster? Do you like to do research? Can you bear the thought of doing a research project for years on end, then finding out someone else published before you, your protocols were wrong and your experiments were messed up or your results were just unimportant?

3) Do you care about financial security? Do you like spending money and buying things, or using money?

4) Do you want the laid back life of a researcher (but you're always thinking about your projects), or a more full-time (but don't have to take work home) kind of life of someone who has a job?


Obviously these questions don't answer everything, but it's most important that you figure out what you want.

Here's some things for you to ponder.

What exactly will a PhD in neuroscience get you? It will take anywhere from 4-7 years to get. You will be working on a complex experiment for years on end, with possibility of huge failure (losing your data, realizing you missed a crucial step and thus screwed up your experiments, someone publishes before you, your initial hypothesis is all wrong and you have to start all over again, etc.). While you're working, you will not be working that hard exactly, and have pretty laid back days. Still, you will be quite poor. You'll be living the 'student lifestyle' until you're 30 basically. When you do finally get your doctorate, you have a few choices. Either you go and get a job somewhere (i.e. work at some company that can use your degree, although I have no idea what kind of job a neuroscience phd can get you) or you can fight another few years to be a professor. You will work around 5 years as a post-grad in some lab doing your own experiments or working for a professor making a meagre salary. If you finally are successful and some university takes you on, you will start off as a lecturer or assistant professor. From there, you will work your ass off for 10 years publishing as many papers as you can, teaching classes and so on (and making a modest salary) in the hopes that you can get tenure somewhere. Once you get tenure you can slow down.

What's good is that if you do like research, you can do whatever you want really. Research whatever you want and so on. What's bad is the huge pressures to publish and write grants and so on, it will be quite stressful especially if your experiments start failing for any reason.

What's bad is of course if you aren't lucky and are one of the 50% of grads that will never really get a university position. Then I have no idea what value your phd will have in the real world. What also sucks is that most research is extremely specialized. I guess unless you're Nobel prize smart, you'll never really research anything all encompasing. You'll spend like 5 years trying to figure out how one neuron pathway works with respect to one or two transmitters on the way to figuring out how some massive pathway works or something. If you are a 'big picture' kind of person, you will hate the fact that you are only working on the smallest details for years on end.



What if you work? Working is of course not without it's stress. There's pressure to do well for the company, and pressure to work hard. If you want further success you need to advance yourself, and get into management or you'll be stuck at a certain threshold of salary (most engineers top out around $100,000/year which is not bad, but not super great). Work is unlike academia where you will be working a lot 'faster' (academics and labs just work slowly compared to the 'real world' I find). You will never have a guaranteed job like if you had tenure at a university.

What's good? You'll probably end up making a lot more money in the end. You will be working in a much more exciting environment, espeically in computer design where things are always quickly changing. Even though you dont have the same job security, it's always possible to get a new job working somewhere else if you don't absolutely suck at what you do.

What's bad? If you are a laid back kind of person it might not be the thing for you. If you don't care how much money you make (and dont care if you live the poor student lifestyle for many more years), but like intellectual persuits perhaps research is better for you.



You wanted to help people. Well do you have the ability of insight to change the world? If you are good but not a genius, it's hard to say how much impact you will have (other people will undoubtably replicate your insights in due time unless you're a genius). If you worked for a company, the products that you work on and design will undoubted affect the lives of many people, and make their lives better (or else they wouldn't buy your product). If you go into management, there's a chance you can control the entire project much more than you could with research where outcomes are usually more uncertain due to the nature of science.

In the end it's really your choice, and about what you want to do. Everything aside, you should pick what you are most interested in and go for that. Unless you have financial constraints or obligations where you need to be working instead of being a student for many more years, then go with your heart.

[Roots]

Wow, thanks for all of the responses everyone. I didn't think I'd get this many so soon, and some are especially lengthy. I took the time to read them all, but I'll only respond to a few things here directly in interest of time/space/sanity.

Originally Posted by ImperialPanda

You're not signing into some contract are you? Can't you decide to go to grad school later if you want?

Taking such a huge leap of faith in neuroscience seems kinda risky to me. I think the best option would be to take the job and then just read some neuroscience books during free time. If you manage to stay interested in it for quite some time and the job is just terribly boring, you have the option of quitting and then applying for grad school next year no?

Working at a job you don't like is indeed a pain in the ass. For the rest of your life would make it doubly so. But isn't it better to take the path that will still leave you with options down the road?

No, I'm not signing into a contract. Although I don't get my signing bonus if I leave right after I join. Yeah, it is a risky move I'm taking. I just thought that it would be better to risk things now than risk them later. I could always re-apply to grad school, but I'm a bit hesitant on that because I've heard so many stories from people who tried to go back to school after working a while, and they just lost their student mentality and dropped out (several people in my team at work have done that).

Originally Posted by Ledgem

Aside from considering how fulfilled you'll be with what you'll be doing, you need to look ahead. Do you even have any idea of what you'd want to do with neuroscience? If you just like the subject matter, buy books on it. Take courses where you can afford the time. If you're relatively new to the subject and aren't too sure what you'd end up doing with it, then you may want to stay away from it. You want to help people, and you're trying to find the best way to do that: you don't want to find yourself at a dead-end, having helped no one.

Sort of. I wouldn't mind building an army of combat-enhanced cyborgs and taking over a few small countries. No seriously though, I'd either like to design neural prosthetics, or maybe simulations of real neural networks (bunch of AI/programming, which I'm already pretty good at). It's a really diverse field and there's professors/students in there from all kinds of majors, although most of them are molecular biology or psychology.

Originally Posted by Ledgem

I forgot to mention earlier as well, while I was in engineering the big thing we were told by many professional engineers is that an engineer should never stop learning, and that no engineer should have to pay for more schooling once they have a job. I don't know about the computer science side of things, but many companies will pay for your master's degree, or even your Ph.D, if there's a way that it will benefit them. The default, it seems, is that most engineers get a master's degree in business of some sort. Otherwise go on to specialize in a different field of engineering or what have you.

Yeah, I know a lot of engineers in my program whose companies are paying for them to get their master's degrees, etc. But it sucks! It takes them 3 times longer to graduate and they still have to work full-time while they go to school, so it's a highly stressful situation (I know, because I did the same thing last Spring and it was awful). I'm pretty sure I don't want to do what they're doing (and what my current manager suggests I do).

Originally Posted by Ledgem

Where does neuroscience come into play for you? One of my interests, and something that I know is also being researched, is having circuitry interact with neural cells. Think Ghost in the Shell. It may be a bit removed from what you're currently doing, but at the same time, you're already in one of the fields required and have an interest in the other. If you really are passionate about neuroscience and it isn't just an escape for you, you don't need to truly give it up.

Actually, what you talked about is exactly what I'm interested in. Brain/machine interfacing. Have you heard of Brain Gate? An invasive surgical proceedure implants an array of electrodes directly onto the brain of quadriproligics (sp?), and they can then control a cursor on a computer screen just by thinking about it. That is freaking SWEET! What could be more fun than designing a system like that? And with computer engineering + neuroscience education, it'd be right up my alley!!!

Originally Posted by Epi

1) What are your goals in life? Do you want money? Do you want success? Do you want to just have a simple job and do what you want?

2) What is your personality? Do you like to wait for things, or do you want things to come much faster? Do you like to do research? Can you bear the thought of doing a research project for years on end, then finding out someone else published before you, your protocols were wrong and your experiments were messed up or your results were just unimportant?

3) Do you care about financial security? Do you like spending money and buying things, or using money?

4) Do you want the laid back life of a researcher (but you're always thinking about your projects), or a more full-time (but don't have to take work home) kind of life of someone who has a job?

1) I don't care about money. I just want to be able to do the things that I want to do, and for those things to be useful to others, either to improve their lives or bring some enjoyment into their lives (I'm also a writer, a manga translator, and an indie game designer in my spare time, which is where the 'enjoyment' part comes in )

2) I like to do things thorougly and completely, and not have to rush something to release, whether its code, a design, or a story. (I know that's not very "real-world" acceptable though). Honestly, I don't know whether I like research or not. I like the do-ing part of research, but I hate the reading/writing of papers and junk. I like to design solutions, not read about them or try to "advertise" them in my papers.

3) I do care about financial security. I had no funding in Fall 2004 and had to live off my life savings, and eat nothing but ramen and rice and I lived in the ghetto. But I don't need a lot of money to live comfortably. I just need "enough" so that I don't feel afraid of not being able to pay my next bill (I'm not a big shopper/spender either).

4) I don't know. I just like to work on things that I'm interested in. I don't care how much or how little I work, as long as I can have the time to enjoy what I'm doing. I also don't like to be working on just one particular thing either, but rather work on lots of different things in lots of different fields.

--------------------

I didn't think things would be so one-sided for the job, but this has helped me a lot in seeing things in a new light. (An old friend I had e-mailed a couple weeks ago got back to me today, and she also voted for the job). I guess I forgot how difficult it is to really find a good job, because this one just found me so easy. Once I was hired as an intern last Spring, I didn't need to do anything. This company has already given me FOUR hiring offers in less than a year, I mean seriously. I haven't thought of myself as anything special these days, but I guess in their eyes I am?


Anyway, given all the numerous (and detailed) opinions I've received today, I think I'm now more inclined to do what many of you have suggested: taking the job, and re-applying to grad school next year if I still find I'm interested in the subject (I'll continue to read/study it on my own time). I wish that the department would allow me to defer my admission (if I get in that is) so I don't have to re-apply all over again, but I guess I'll just have to suck it up.


When I made this thread yesterday I was leaning 70% towards neuroscience and 30% towards the job, and now I'm more at 40% neuroscience and 60% job. I love see-saws. Anyway, thanks again everyone for your insights, wisdom, and experiences. I really appreciate it.

[Kimura-sensei]

My professor said this... if you do something you truly enjoy, you never work a single day in your life.

Follow what you love, follow your dream. If you work at a job that your heart is not fully into, you'll always see it as work, never as fun. You're young at 23yrs old. It's ok at this point in your life to still be deciding. Things work out by themselves in the end. The worst thing you can do is shutout your dream and have regrets. And don't worry about jumping ship late in the game. I'm 32yrs old and switched three different careers... finance, computers, and now I'm a 3yr med student treating patients.

Do what you need to do. If you need to pay off bills, go work a few years and pay them off. Save some on the side so you can eventually go into neuroscience down the road or whatever you enjoy. You may also want to take a look at the dual MD PhD programs. May have better access into research and grant programs.

[cheyannew]

I gave up a higher paying job to persue one that's more relaxed, I enjoy (gasp! enjoy going to work everyday??) and was closer to my home.
Yes, it involves pinching pennies sometimes, and budgeting, but that's fine; that means when I get a higher paying job or a raise here or whatever, or open my store, then I'll already be used to living at a certain level and then extra goes into savings, or whatever (and I have kids, there is no such thing as savings for long rofl).

I found that finding a job you like and can stick with (not stick with ugh but stick with yay) was worth more than any amount of dollar signs; I've been at both ends of the spectrum and this one's not easy..

But it's where I want to be; appreciated at work, I adore my job, I can move up if I choose, I have time with my kids, and I have weekends off (which in this area seems rare LOL) to also spend time w/ the kids. If all I had to sacrifice for that was a few thousand a year? So be it.
When we added up the gas for commute, time, etc etc babysitter if something came up, this job actually pays a mere 2k less than my previous one. Not bad at all, i daresay.

Look at what YOU want out of your life, and get there by any means necessary. That's what life is about.. You can scrape by at a job you hate but making money, and killing yourself inside, or you can set a goal for yourself and get there by sheer willpower if naught else.
A compromise may be in order; can you take core classes online/at night when not working? If so, try that mayhaps. Then take the in-depth courses once you've saved a cusion of funds to live off of, as they'll likely take up most of your time.

Let us know what you decide!! I'd say goo dluck but luck has nothing to do with it..
Strong willpower!!!

[Roots]

Thanks for sharing your experiences you two. I did take a brief look at the dual MD/PhD program (the department I applied to has one), but even though I want to help people, I don't think being a doctor is a job fit for me.


Honestly, if you asked me what kind of work I enjoy doing the most, it would be working on my game Hero of Allacrost. I began this project in June 2004 and actually, it all began when I posted a short story I wrote on this very forum . Since I currently have an engineering job and I'm a full-time graduate student, I work on this in my spare time (it is a not-for-profit project after all, and I need to pay the bills). But I enjoy working on this game more than anything else I do currently, and I devote hours and hours into it. In fact, I've spent pretty much the last two and a half days spending almost the entire day working on various things for this game, and the time just flies by.


But yet, right now I don't think game design is something I want to do professionally. When I was 13/14 I wanted to be a game designer (as most 13/14 year olds do these days), but I've read so much crap about the game industry. Publishers are afraid to take risks and break away from conventions, which leads to the same types of games being published with little originality ("cookie-cutter" games if you wil). In the case of companies like EA, you're worked long and hard, and don't get compensated with over-time pay or otherwise. And having a publisher breathing down my neck means that I have to make the game that they want to see, and cut features and meet deadlines that they set (most of which will probably be very very difficult to reach). So for the time being, my hobby remains my #1 passion, because turning that hobby into work will mean changing the things that make it so enjoyable for me in the first place. Do you see my point?

[Cz]

Wow. You are a computer engineering major yet you are good at computer science topics and game programming AND you want to pursue neuroscience? You've got talent and skills, that's for sure.

Everyone else has pretty much given a lot of possible point of views so I doubt I have much to add, except that you should choose carefully so you do not regret your decision for the rest of your life. You are fortunate that you are at a crossroads where you can still choose; for me the point of choosing has past. I graduated last June with a Master's in Computer Science and now I am stuck on the road to a career. In the past few months of job searching I have realized that this is an extremely competitive field (especially being a foreigner in Sillicon Valley) where employers want only experienced and very skilled people, both of which I am lacking in. I am regretting not learning more CS skills on my own in the last few years, or picking another field of study that has an easier task of getting a job.

Then again, lately I have begun wondering what I am actually interested in. I thought I had an interest in the specific field of computer security, but I also have slight interests in artificial intelligence and game programming. None of the interests are significant to the point I would devote my life and my career to, but at this point I am kinda stuck with nowhere to go except to get some related CS job and work and see what the future brings me. And no, after doing a Master's thesis, I do not think a PhD or research field is right for me.

You still have a choice, but a really tough one. If you are certain of your interest in neuroscience and the ability to support yourself financially during and after your PhD studies, you could go for it. From the looks of it you have some financial aid for the first couple of years. After that you could always get part-time jobs, which should not be a huge problem for a person of your caliber. If you are good, and I believe you are, I am confident that getting a job with your neuroscience PhD is not a big problem either. You say that you are not in the pursuit of money, and from my experience it is better to follow your dream. Perhaps that will bring you some happiness that might not be possible with a job in a field you do not like anymore.

[arias]

Originally Posted by Roots

Thanks for sharing your experiences you two. I did take a brief look at the dual MD/PhD program (the department I applied to has one), but even though I want to help people, I don't think being a doctor is a job fit for me.


Honestly, if you asked me what kind of work I enjoy doing the most, it would be working on my game Hero of Allacrost. I began this project in June 2004 and actually, it all began when I posted a short story I wrote on this very forum . Since I currently have an engineering job and I'm a full-time graduate student, I work on this in my spare time (it is a not-for-profit project after all, and I need to pay the bills). But I enjoy working on this game more than anything else I do currently, and I devote hours and hours into it. In fact, I've spent pretty much the last two and a half days spending almost the entire day working on various things for this game, and the time just flies by.

...

Your points about joining a pro-development company are all valid.. most big development companies don't treat their lower-level employees like creative forces but rather like tools, cogs in the machine, mere machinery. Churn churn churn. If you know about the whole EA-wives fracas then you should know that the situation extends itself across virtually the whole industry.

However, I've worked on Diver Down (http://diverdown.grenideer.com) as an artist for three years.. and our project lead studied game design at Full Sail. He was later employed by Insomniac Games (which develops the Ratchet & Clank, Spyro the Dragon series). Last I heard from him, the company was pretty small and very friendly, and creative input was sought after from every team member.. So.. I guess he's got his dream come true

He worked on the game for five years, though, doing all of the story, coding, and alot of the art (the main artist and I did more polished art, but in less quantity) And most of the times, he was on his own.. so one can't help but admire his steely determination.

[cheyannew]

Originally Posted by Roots

But yet, right now I don't think game design is something I want to do professionally. When I was 13/14 I wanted to be a game designer (as most 13/14 year olds do these days), but I've read so much crap about the game industry. Publishers are afraid to take risks and break away from conventions, which leads to the same types of games being published with little originality ("cookie-cutter" games if you wil). In the case of companies like EA, you're worked long and hard, and don't get compensated with over-time pay or otherwise. And having a publisher breathing down my neck means that I have to make the game that they want to see, and cut features and meet deadlines that they set (most of which will probably be very very difficult to reach). So for the time being, my hobby remains my #1 passion, because turning that hobby into work will mean changing the things that make it so enjoyable for me in the first place. Do you see my point?

Honestly, yes the hours are long and sucky SOMETIMES.. but if you get into a good company (love mine) you're OK; there's heck-times "OMG we're due to get the master disc out in 2 weeks and there's 50 more quests to proofread gogogogogo" but then there's also slow times once thigns settle down and everyone takes a week or so off. And if all companies are like this'un then it's a really fun environment. I may be lucky; I hear other companies suck the life out of you. I couldn't be a dev because I just can't be creative on a time limit. I can write a book about stuff however, it has to be on my own time... So I just found a different niche LOL
Just as an FYI